Bike Trainer very different from the road

[DebW]

Some trainers have adjustable tension via a knob or dial. Some you just use your gears to change the level of effort. Start on an easy gear where you can pedal at a moderate to high cadence without wearing ourself out.

[Wahine]

Yes, using a trainer is very different from riding on the road. DebW's advice is excellent. You also need to take into account what kind of trainer you have. If there is a drum that applies resistance to the surface of the wheel, how hard you tension the drum to the wheel also makes a difference. You want just enough tension to rotate the drum smoothly without you wheel slipping on the surface.

I like to use the Spinerval DVDs but they are not easy. I also like to work on cadence on the trainer. My warm-up consists of slowly building up my RPM by 5 every minute until I can't go any faster and I'm sweating like a pig, that usually happens at 115 RPM this time of year but gets progressively better. This warm-up is a great lead in to any workout.

The other thing to keep in mind is that you do not get any coasting time on a trainer, so the general rule f thumb is that 40 to 45 min on a trainer is about equivilant to 1 hour outside in terms of muscular effort. So you should adjust your saddle time accordingly.

Try searching the web for different workouts, Bicycling mag usually publishes some trainer workouts this time of year.

have fun and mix it up or it will get really boring really fast.

[caligurl]

ya.... i hate my trainer with a passion! i think i've used it 2 or 3 times in the last 2 1/2 years!

[Wahine]

ya.... i hate my trainer with a passion! i think i've used it 2 or 3 times in the last 2 1/2 years!

Hey Caligurl,

What kind of trainer is it and would you be willing to sell it?

My hubby needs one so we can ride and watch movies together.

It so happens we'll be in LA next week.

Wahine

[Geonz]

Oh, dear... no, it's not anything like riding on the road

It *is* a lot harder - you get much more sweat per hour.

I rely on either a video (at the bike shop inside rides) or DRIVING MUSIC in the background.

[caligurl]

hi wahine... well... no doubt as soon as i sold it... i'd want to use it! it's just one of those thing! hubby's always trying to get me on it to do spinervals or carmichaels... but it has SUCH a dread factor! lol!!!!

(by the ways.... it's a cycleops fluid 2.... but as i said..... right now i'm not selling )

[RoadRaven]

Hey there hg, we have a spin bike set up in the living room.

Although I sometimes need to watch whatever is the telly 'cause that is what others are in the middle of doing, I do two things by preference.

I have DVDs of various tour stages (eg stages of Le Tour - my faves are Lance's TT in 2005 where he passed Ulrich, and the infamous stage from this year where our GEM, Floyd, made his comeback - or stages of various international women's races - my fave is the 2005 Wellington NZ stage when NZ's Sarah Ulmer thrashed everyone else)

Sometimes I will play a race DVD with no sound and put on music real loud... I am a "rock chick" and my fave spin choices include Melissa Etheridge, Indigo Girls, Bruce Springsteen, Joan Osbourne, CCR, ACDC... although sometimes something like Jethro Tull will do the trick.

At the moment I am listening to songs with a view to getting an MP3 and making a "cadence" selection to time trial to. Contrary to my opinion when I first joined up to TE, I now do not think listening to music while cycling on the road is a good plan... however, I have been doing indoor training to music and cycling to the rythym to improve my cadence.

My plan is to create a couple of of 'cadence selections' and then use them to train with, and when I have a TT race, to race with.

I have a couple of Spinerval DVDs on my wish-list due to the way they have been discussed here at TE, but I will need to order them in from overseas.

Have fun finding the best way to train indoors for you